Volkswagen (FS II.358), sometimes referred to as “Lemon”, is a silkscreen print created by US-american Artist Andy Warhol in 1985 for his Ads series, depicting a 1960 ad for a Volkswagen car. Warhol portrays the iconic car in a bright green and yellow against a dark purple background that emphasizes the iconicity of both the car and the ad itself. The infamous ad in Volkswagen 358 is commonly referred to as the “Lemon” or “lemon ad” and changed the advertising world in the mid-20th century. In the late 1950s, after World War II, Volkswagen (VW) was eager to sell its cars in America and compete with the leading automobile brands. The obvious problem was that VW had been founded under the direct supervision of Adolf Hitler, and now the company had to market its vehicles to thousands of veterans returning to the U.S. (all of whom were buying cars in record numbers). By referring to its car as a “lemon” (a defective or cheaply made foreign car), VW presents a very counterintuitive and unexpected advertising campaign. However, the use of this self-deprecating humor proved to be extremely effective, and many have said that the Volkswagen ads of the late 50s and early 60s changed the marketing world forever. The gist of the ad is basically this: VW presents a seemingly brand new, pristine Volkswagen Beetle and then calls it a lemon. The ad goes on to say that VW’s cars are so carefully inspected that even scratches that are barely visible to the human eye are considered a reason to send the car back to the assembly line and replace the “defective part”. Such an ingenious and epoch-making marketing campaign makes this ad a perfect part of Warhol’s Ads portfolio. In Ads, Warhol explores how these widely recognized emblems, trademarks and logos have become symbolic to the American consumer. Volkswagen recently reproduced its iconic Beetle ad with its new electric van, suggesting, like Warhol, that its advertising is timeless. At first glance, Warhol’s inclusion of the German car in his other ad prints is an interesting choice, as the reception of the Volkswagen Beetle in the United States was initially divided. But it is clear that Warhol created the Volkswagen with a clear understanding of the impact VW had on the advertising industry.